CES is the largest and most influential consumer electronics show. Strictly speaking, CES is not directly related to automobiles, but as more and more automakers transform into technology-based enterprises, CES has gradually become a "must-compete place" for automakers to display new technologies.
On January 5, local time, the 2022 International Consumer Electronics Show (hereinafter referred to as "CES 2022") opened in Las Vegas. Considering the impact of the epidemic, this year's CES adopted the online + offline model for the first time, with a total of more than 2,300 exhibitors participating, of which the offline exhibition ended on January 7, one day earlier than originally planned.
According to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the organizer of CES, from the total number of online and offline exhibitors, compared with 2020, CES's vehicle technology-related exhibitors increased by 12% in 2022, with more than 175 related companies participating.
This year, OEMs including Daimler, BMW, Toyota, GM, Stellantis, Hyundai and other OEMs, as well as Automakers and parts manufacturers such as Bosch, ZF, Valeo, Magneti Marelli, Mitsubishi Electric, Intel, Panasonic, LG, and Qualcomm, all appeared at CES 2022.
Electric vehicle station C position, black technology is the focus
Although, due to the epidemic, many mainstream automakers have chosen to participate in CES 2022 online. But judging from the lineup of exhibitors, they have come up with "housekeeping skills", that is, the coolest products and forward-looking technology.
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX concept car with optimum energy efficiency
On January 4, just before the opening of CES, Mercedes-Benz's new pure electric concept car Vision EQXX made its world debut, taking the lead in "igniting" the automotive circle in 2022.
On the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX, you can see the ultra-low wind resistance coefficient of Cd 0.17, as well as the extreme power consumption of 10kWh/100km, and the cruising range of more than 1000km on a single charge. In addition, Vision EQXX is software-driven, using a large number of lightweight technologies and recyclable materials. Coupled with the smaller body size, the Vision EQXX weighs only 1.75 tons, which is comparable to the similar size of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
According to the industry, the Vision EQXX concept car is the most subversive model since Mercedes-Benz entered the era of electrification.
The BMW iX M60 debuted with a "one-click color change" showmanship
On the opening day of CES, BMW officially released its second pure electric M model, the iX M60. The new car is equipped with a pure electric drive system composed of two motors in front and rear, with a maximum power of 619 horsepower, a minimum energy consumption of 21.7 kWh per 100 kilometers, and a maximum cruising range of 566 km (WLTP conditions).
Although the mileage of the new car is not as bright as the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX, BMW uses the "electronic ink" technology (E-ink) to launch the body one-button color change function, completely out of the circle.
According to the official introduction, the "e-ink" contains millions of transparent microcapsules, with a diameter of only the thickness of a hair. Each microcapsule contains a negatively charged white pigment, as well as a positively charged black pigment. By controlling the electrodes on both sides of the microcapsule, the desired color appears on the body surface.
In addition, bmw's simultaneous unveiling of the new theme mode (My Modes), BMW suspension screen (BMW Theatre Screen), BMW Electric Vehicle Sound Wave Simulation (BMW IconicSounds Electric) digital achievements, but also further expand the imagination space of automobile intelligence.
GM is racing toward electrification, and hardware and software platforms are the highlight
Another manufacturer that cannot be ignored is General Motors. On January 6, GM used CES to demonstrate its Aoteneng platform effect and released a new software platform, Ultifi.
In terms of products, GM's luxury brand Cadillac released a new product, the InnerSpace self-driving concept car, which is built using a futuristic design language. The concept car is equipped with GM's Ultra Cruise advanced driver assistance system unveiled this time, which can realize point-to-point off-the-hand driving on urban roads, and based on the GM Aotene electric vehicle platform, the battery modules are distributed in the car, which can realize the battery management of wireless connections.
At the same time, GM's Chevrolet Silverado pure electric pickup truck was also unveiled at the show, which will be divided into two versions: the WT for commercial customers and the luxury RST for retail users.
From the debut of CES as a drone in 2020 to the transition of cadillac to the C position to electric vehicles this year, it can be seen that GM is determined to electrify.
Stellantis' pure electric pioneer Chrysler, released the Airflow concept car
As the electric vehicle pioneer of parent company Stellantis Group, Chrysler unveiled the Airflow concept car at this year's CES and announced that the brand will launch its first electric vehicle in 2025, achieving full electrification by 2028.
According to reports, the Airflow concept car is based on the STLA architecture of the Stellantis Group, and the theoretical endurance is expected to be between 563 and 643 kilometers, provided by two 150-kilowatt electric drive modules (EDMs) for all-wheel drive.
The unveiling of the Airflow concept car embodies Chrysler's changes and future-oriented design language, namely a smoother, more formy design.
Volvo's pure electric Concept Recharge debuted, and the interior and exterior design were brilliant
At CES 2022, Volvo took the all-electric concept car Concept Recharge to its booth. Concept Recharge is equipped with the self-driving system PoltFlight, which is the result of a collaboration between lidar company Luminar and Volvo.
Moreover, The Concept Recharge, which is blessed with a new electric platform, has its own unique characteristics, which are mainly reflected in the avant-garde interior design.
In terms of appearance, the Concept Recharge front and rear bumpers, as well as the window sill molds, are composed of linen composites, and the use of linen composites inside and outside in this way can greatly reduce the use of plastic. Concept Recharge also features special tires made by Pirelli, completely mineral oil-free and made from 94% fossil-free materials, including recycled and renewable materials such as natural rubber, bio-silicon, man-made fibers and bio-resins.
In the interior design, Concept Recharge uses a wealth of sustainable materials, including natural and recycled materials, as well as environmentally responsible textiles and lightweight composites created from natural sources.
Clearly, Volvo Cars is at the forefront of the use of sustainable natural materials in cars.
Sony's aggressive entry into the smart automotive industry
After revealing its ambitions to build cross-border cars at CES in 2020, sony announced the establishment of Sony Mobiliy, a Sony mobility company, to officially enter the future intelligent automotive industry.
At the exhibition, Sony showed an electric SUV concept car - Vision-S 02, the new concept car is equipped with many sony's automotive technology technologies, such as 360-degree panoramic sound, relying on 5G remote control and so on.
Car suppliers turn on "fairy fight" mode
In addition to the dazzling array of new cars and new technologies, at the CES 2022 exhibition, parts suppliers, technology companies, etc. are also competing to show off their "muscles", mainly focusing on hot technologies in the fields of autonomous driving, electrification, software, and security for next-generation travel.
Qualcomm will cooperate with 37 car companies
If you want to count the "high-profile" auto parts suppliers at this CES, Qualcomm, a giant in the communications industry, must be listed.
This time, Qualcomm showcased new products in cooperation with many automakers - Snapdragon digital chassis, Snapdragon Ride, Snapdragon cockpit platform, Snapdragon auto connect platform, Snapdragon car-to-cloud service and other products and services. Among them, qualcomm Snapdragon digital chassis consists of a complete set of open and scalable cloud connection platforms, including Snapdragon Ride platform, Snapdragon cockpit platform, Snapdragon automotive intelligent connection platform and Snapdragon car-to-cloud services.
According to Qualcomm's automotive partners announced at the exhibition, 37 car companies, including Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus, Nio, tesla, etc., cover almost the vast majority of luxury car manufacturers in the current market.
Nvidia released the DRIVE Hyperion 8 autonomous driving platform
Intel, the world's largest CPU supplier, brought the eighth-generation DRIVE Hyperion autonomous driving platform, the DRIVE Concierge for AI assistants and the DRIVE Chauffeur for autonomous driving at the show.
At present, electric vehicle companies and brands that use the DRIVE Hyperion autonomous driving platform include Weilai, Xiaopeng, Ideal Car, R Car, Zhiji Car, etc.
The DRIVE Hyperion 8 released by Nvidia is built with redundant NVIDIA DRIVE Orin system-on-chips, 12 external surround cameras, 9 millimeter wave radar, 12 ultrasonic modules, 1 front-facing lidar and 3 internal perception cameras. The two NVIDIA DRIVE Orin chips, each with a hash rate of up to 254TOPS, can complete 25.4 billion operations per second.
The tight integration of DRIVE Concierge with DRIVE Chauffeur can provide low-latency, high-quality 360-degree 4D visualization services, such as providing automatic search for parking spaces, valet parking and other functions.
Mobileye has cooperated with Volkswagen, Ford, Extreme Kr and so on
At CES 2022, Mobileye brought a whole new family of chips. Among them, the EyeQ Ultra system integration chip specially built for automatic driving was officially launched. Optimized for energy efficiency at 176 TOPS, the chip meets all the needs and application scenarios of L4-level autonomous driving with the help of a 5nm process, while avoiding the additional energy consumption and cost of combining multiple system integration chips.
Mobileye also announced that in the future, Ford and Volkswagen Group will be equipped with Mobileye's mapping platform; in-depth cooperation with Extreme Krypton Automobile, and plans to launch the world's first L4 level autonomous vehicle in 2024.
ZF launches the next generation of high-performance computing platforms
ZF demonstrated the real progress it has made in its next-generation mobility strategy. At cess, ZF is launching the world's next-generation high-performance computing platform, the Vehicle Motion Domain (VMD) controller, which is suitable for all types of chassis platforms, vehicle movements and body functions.
In addition, ZF has partnered with Vietnamese electric vehicle brand VinFast to provide it with a wide range of cameras, radar and lidar sensors. In the future, the coPILOT system developed by ZF that can be extended to L4 will also be installed in VinFast models. ZF has also developed a highly scalable, modular inverter platform that enables automakers to make the transition from silicon to silicon carbide.
Overall, electrification and automatic driving are the keywords of CES 2022, electrification and intelligence seem to have become the "standard" of car manufacturing, and the realization of automatic driving functions is inseparable from the supporting parts of excellent technology and the good supporting facilities of systems and machine service providers. Judging from the actions of major suppliers, automakers and parts suppliers jointly launch new products, which fully reflects the collaboration of the automotive industry chain.
Whether it is due to the "inner volume" or the general trend, the emergence of new concept cars, new electric vehicles and new technologies is the most cutting-edge understanding and display of new travel concepts by automobile manufacturers, who point out the future development direction of the automotive industry and will also change the way people travel.